73
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdSome Kind Of Heaven contrasts the dissatisfaction of its subjects with the sunniness of their surroundings, the better to stress the wide gap separating how they feel and how they’re expected to feel in a community one talking head refers to, un-ironically, as “nirvana.”
- 83IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnOppenheim relishes in the strange beauty of their lives with Rockwellian precision, and the bigger picture remains elusive throughout. Look closer, however, and the movie makes a sobering point, whether or not Oppenheim intended it — that the biggest threat to American identity isn’t confronting the nature of the society so much as the people who prefer to escape it altogether, ending their lives in solipsistic bliss.
- 80The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergOppenheim resists easy misanthropy, showing unexpected empathy for people who have cocooned themselves from the outside world, only to confront its headaches anyway.
- 78Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiAustin ChronicleJosh KupeckiSome Kind of Heaven effortlessly blends humor and pathos into a memorable and at times unsettling study on where life’s trajectory might land us, and that is a concept that deserves more than mild contemplation.
- 75Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanThe film deepens and grows more thoughtful — and, yes, sad — as its spotlight on the need for human connection — at any age — comes into focus. The stories of the four people at its center show Villagers to be more than statistics.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger Moore“Heaven” isn’t exactly an infomercial, but it’s not much deeper than that.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDirector Lance Oppenheim (who at 24 is a good half-century younger than his subjects) employs a straightforward, deadpan style that suits the material well, avoiding condescension or cutesy gimmicks as he introduces us to a number of residents of the Villages.
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneOppenheim doesn’t waste much space on the upside. He aims straight for the undergrowth, and treats the Villages as one big Carl Hiaasen novel waiting to happen.
- 60Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinIt’s easy enough to take this brisk documentary at face value and enjoy it for the well-shot curio that it is. And Oppenheim, just 24, is a talent to watch. Still, this movie shouldn’t preclude — and, who knows, may even inspire — a more definitive documentary about this debatable slice of “heaven.”
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe film is most tragic and humorous when hints of the outside world break through the suffocatingly cheerful façade of the Villages.